


This One’s For You (It’s Really All Me)

by fluffywonder



Series: Psyche [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Unhealthy Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-30
Updated: 2019-08-30
Packaged: 2020-09-30 16:29:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20450132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fluffywonder/pseuds/fluffywonder
Summary: Conversations don’t go as expected— set IM3 post nightmare sceneSort of a prelude to “Enough”





	This One’s For You (It’s Really All Me)

“Why won’t you just _talk_ to me, Tony?” Her strawberry blonde hair is frizzy and mussed, sticking to her cheek slightly, and the shine in her eyes is overbright as she stands there in a lacy slip of a nightgown.

_Because you deserve so much better than this. Because I don’t want to put my mess on you._

That’s the automatic answer that springs to Tony’s lips, but a small, traitorous part of his brain has other ideas.

_Are you sure it’s not because Pepper can’t ever really relate to what you’ve been through?_

Shame scalds him immediately at the treacherous thought, because this woman— _god, _this woman has been nothing but supportive and patient with him. He can’t even blame her that her patience seems to be rapidly coming to an end— _he’s_ the one who refuses to share entire parts of his life with her, parts she can see from a distance, but that he never allows her to truly _feel_ with him.

_Because she can’t. She won’t be able to feel this. She’ll understand, logically, but she can’t feel it._

Goddamn voice in his head.

Ironic, that she wanted to see the real him, and that’s exactly who he was protecting her from.

He’s been quiet too long, because the next thing he hears is Pepper moving over to the door. “It’s not even about the suit, Tony, I just— “ she looks tired, sounds tired, and not because she’s up in the middle of the night. Tony can’t blame her. “I can’t be your band-aid, Tony,” she finishes quietly. “Your suits, me... it’s all a distraction, band-aids you’re using to patch up the holes in yourself, and... and I want to help you, I _do_, Tony, but not as a distraction. I can’t be here, waiting in the aftermath, while you use Iron Man to seek out whatever absolution you’re chasing. If you won’t let me help from the ground up —and _not_ just by being here, Tony, we both know that’s not enough anymore— then... I don’t know what I’m really doing here. Just... figure yourself out. If you need genuine help doing it, I’m here, but we can’t go on the way we have been.” She sighs. “I’m going to sleep downstairs.”

Tony hasn’t said a word —he couldn’t have— but next thing he knows, she’s gone. Presumably to sleep downstairs, as she’d said.

And suddenly he’s standing alone in their bedroom, and the bed feels too cold.

The Mandarin attacks the next day, and though he doesn’t know it at the time - Extremis explodes any chance they had at a healthy relationship, because it’s just one more thing he can’t help but try to protect her from.

**Author's Note:**

> I like positive reviews as much as the next author.


End file.
